There is a scene in Analyze This where Billy Crystal, a psychiatrist for mob boss Robert DiNero, sits in on a mafia meeting of pathological goodfellas and he is challenged to answer Chazz Palminteri’s question…who are you? “Who am I”, he answers, “Who I am, or who am I? Who am I is the question for all ages. That is the one we are all searching to see who is inside, who wants to come out. Who I am, you gotta go in deep.”
It is a riotous moment in a hilarious movie and a scene I love to quote. He then gave his real name, Ben Sobel, that quickly turned Italian when he corrected himself as “Ben Sobleone”, and Joey Boombatz, Benny the Groin, Sammy the Schnoz, Elmer the Fudd, and so on.
So, as I write this column, just days before my webinar entitled, ”The Day After Tomorrow” that will be given to the district one regionals, and then a webinar of Past President’s of SAAGNY on May 28th covering business in a time of crisis and further webinars in June, I seriously ask myself “who am I” to be the sage of the industry? I am yet another talking head, no, not on CNN or Fox, but in the media streams for our industry. My webinar this Friday has to be the “umpteenth” session of online advice-givers. Why should anyone listen to me?
I have never been through a pandemic. My business has survived 9/11 but, after the first 24 hours being glued to the TV, nobody sheltered at home, no businesses closed their doors, no purchasing stopped. In 1988 and 2008, when the financial crisis hit, businesses were affected but it did not require a complete overhaul to course correct. True confessions, I am no more a seer of the future than you.
However, listen up. I am here to tell you what to do.
Listen. continue to listen to our industry talking heads. Why? because "misery loves company”. I am not calling you miserable but few of us are very happy with the state of our business world. From the webinar and Zoom chatter will come a certain comfort level that we are all in this together and perhaps the synergy of the industry will help us all thrive in the new normal world.
Extrapolate the best of the best guidance you can. Take notes, find the gem or two that each talking head can give you. Take a deeper dive into their advice. Ask if there are case histories to back up their premise, as if there is a proof of concept to share. Be appreciative but be cynical. Even the most successful people do not have a proven roadmap out of this mess.
Check Accessibility. If I am giving you advice, I need to be open to you and receptive to a phone call or email. Case in point, during this pandemic, no less than a dozen distributors have sought me out because they listened to my webinar on co-op advertising and wanted to talk one on one. I made the time to do just that.
Network. Did you ever use the chat feature to put your name and email address out there calling for other participants to network with you? Perhaps one good idea they give you resonates. Then you and Kathy from Kansas, Winnie from Wisconsin and Mitch from Michigan can help each other in the days ahead.
Positivity Thrive on the good news and seek it out. Without a positive mental attitude, it will be difficult to survive and restore yourself, your business, and your family. So, look for the silver lining. The future lies somewhere between the optimist’s point of view and the pessimists. Some call that realism; realism is how you put it all together for yourself. You are the only realist.
Weather. Look at me and other talking heads as a weather forecaster. Perhaps we see things in the sky you don’t. Perhaps you need to hear of storm waters you cannot see. Perhaps you need to know where and when there is clear sailing. However, long-range weather forecasters are right less than 50% of the time.
Perhaps you will be on one of my webinars in the next few weeks. I am a faithful talking head at your service and I am certain you will find a nugget within the presentation that will make my session, like many others, worth your time.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is a frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.